Workers process fish at a seafood company. – SGT Photo: Trung Chanh

To maintain production, the enterprises are required to provide meals and accommodation at the factories for their workers.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP)'s Hoe said only 30% of southern seafood processing companies can meet this requirement. The remaining 70% have been forced to shut down.

Even companies that remain operational can only mobilize 30-50% of their workforce to meet social distancing requirements.

These strict measures have made the average production of seafood processing companies fall 40-50%.

Besides, their production costs have surged drastically as they have to pay Covid-19 testing fees every week and provide meals and utilities at the factories for their workers.

Truong Thi Le Khanh, chairwoman of the board of directors of the Van Duc Tien Giang Food Export Company Limited, said the company has spent dozens of billions of dong to keep the workers on site.

To help address these issues, VASEP suggested the Government prioritize the Covid-19 vaccines for factory workers.

The association also proposed that manufacturing companies should be allowed to test their workers for Covid-19 twice a month and send the samples to the health authorities to reduce Covid-19 testing costs.

Besides, manufacturing workers should be entitled to loans at lower interest rates and a 30% reduction in electricity bills at least until the end of this year.

Source: Saigon Times

Seafood companies expect higher revenue on brighter prospects

Large seafood enterprises have set higher revenue and profit targets this year thanks to positive growth prospects of the seafood export market, especially the US and EU.